BURBANK ' 68 - BMG 74321 672299 2
1. Review by Oven Egeland |
Cheap and disappointing first release!!
Danny Boy (instrumental) [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Baby What You Want Me To Do [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Love Me [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Dialogue with Steve Binder [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Lawdy Miss Clawdy [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
One Night [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Blue Christmas [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Baby What You Want Me To Do [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Elvis dialogue (no 2) [Rehearsal, June 25 1968]
Heartbreak Hotel [8 PM Show, June 29 1968]
Hound Dog [8 PM Show, June 29 1968]
All Shook Up [8 PM Show, June 29 1968]
Can't Help Falling In Love [8 PM Show, June 29 1968]
Jailhouse Rock [8 PM Show, June 29 1968]
Don't Be Cruel [8 PM Show, June 29 1968]
Love Me Tender [6 PM Show, June 29 1968]
Blue Suede Shoes [6 PM Show, June 29 1968]
Trouble/Guitar Man (8 PM Show, June 29 1968, Vocal overdub (# 4))
If I Can Dream (Vocal overdub take 3, June 30)
Let Yourself Go (Instrumental) |
Review by Oven Egeland
This is the first CD in the new Collectors label - "Follow That Dream". This label was established partly because BMG wanted to stop some of the many bootlegs floating on the Elvis-marked. Lets state one thing at once: BMG really has something to learn from the general bootlegger.
This first product tell us a tale very much reminding of indifference, except perhaps for the potential income that the product will give. Take a look at the cover. It is exactly the same as the one used for the promo-CD to Tiger Man and Memories. The only thing BMG has done is to replace "Elvis '68" with "Burbank '68", and the actual track listing. Otherwise it is hard tell the difference between these two. This idea is pathetic, but more than that, I think it is a shame that BMG can deliver such "CHEAP" artwork on a collectors label. This product is mainly aimed at the real Elvis fan, we who have supported BMG for years. I really had hoped that BMG would have shown us more respect than this release suggests that they do.
There is no booklet or extensive information about anything, just a paper-cover with a CD in it....
As always, however, it is the content that counts. And what about the content, then?
Personally I'm not too excited with the rehearsal from June 25. It is not an especially focused rehearsal and Elvis is very tired in his voice. None of the versions from the rehearsals could be considered as "good", at least in Elvis terms. But I know that many fans will like to hear this rehearsal. It is one of the few things that have not been bootlegged, so therefore BMG present something really new for us here. Even if it is not "hot" material, I think it fits into the idea behind the Collectors Label, and therefore is an appropriate first release.
The sound is very good to be from such a rehearsal like this. After all it was not recorded professionally.
The "second" part of this CD is from the stand-up show, mainly the last one (June 29, 8.00 PM). At lot of this material has been released before; to be exact, 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Don't Be Cruel', 'Love Me Tender' and parts of 'Blue Suede Shoes'. The medley of 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Hound Dog' and 'All Shook Up' is new (though it has been bootlegged). This version illustrates what Ernst Jorgensen has told us before; some of the songs from Burbank '68 stand-up shows are not good enough for commercial release. However, to me - and I guess to many other fans - these versions are interesting and enjoyable. Still, especially the rock-medley and the ending of 'Jailhouse Rock' are a total mess. Elvis misses the timing several times, and he and the musicians often do not match each other.
This stand-up show also reveals another boring fact; BMG has not done anything with the sound on these recordings. You can tell right away by comparing to the well-mixed selections featured on Memories. The sound on these previously unreleased tracks are not bad, by no means. But when the CD goes from a previously unreleased track to the earlier released ones the sound-picture changes, indicating that BMG has not used the mastertape from this concert, but instead edited in these tracks from the original release of Elvis Comeback Special. Take on your headphones and listen to where Elvis goes from the previously unreleased 'Can't Help Falling In Love' to the already released version of 'Jailhouse Rock'.
This gives us perhaps an indication of BMG's devotion to the "Follow That Dream" - label. In fact it suggest that we also next time, and the time after that, can expect new Elvis material released without proper mixing and artwork not given the appropriate attention or dedication.
This way, we will end up with lots of new material, knowing that the sound on the CD could have been a lot better than it is. And this happens in the year of 1999, where technology can do a lot of good thing with the sound etc...
The last track is just an instrumental and not interesting at all.
To conclude this review: This is a very disappointing release! Not only due to lousy cover-work and the non-existence of mixing, but more over; What hopes for the future of this label does this first release give us? It does not promise a lot! This FTD CD is also more expensive than ordinary CD's.
Well, the time will show, but this collector's label future does not look prosperous after this first release.
©
, Norway, 1999
|
Go Back to Follow That Dream
Go Back to BMG news
|